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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28838418">Tales of Blood and Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALL_ME_A1EX/pseuds/CALL_ME_A1EX'>CALL_ME_A1EX</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Secrets of Magic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No Fandom, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fantasy, Gen, High Fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:53:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28838418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALL_ME_A1EX/pseuds/CALL_ME_A1EX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>DISCLAIMER: This is an original work of fiction set in a modern era, and all the characters and situations represented in this work are intended to be considered as such. Any similarities with real or fictional worlds or personalities is merely coincidental and should be dismissed when reading. Additionally, this piece of literature will sometimes touch into serious topics that may cause triggers in some people. Chapters that touch into topics that can be potentially uncomfortable will be tagged as such at the beginning of each chapter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Secrets of Magic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114568</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. CHAPTER 0</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Potential content warning for this chapter: Mention of murder, sharp objects, general weaponry.</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A heavy door could be heard opening from the outside.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, a bright light shone into the room, blinding the pale, hairy man dressed in rags, who was half-standing, half-kneeling behind that door, inside the dark room.<br/>
<br/>
Instead of trying to hide from the light, the man smiled cockily while slightly closing his rust-colored eyes. “I missed you. Is it time yet?”<br/>
<br/>
The other person, a young lady who wore a very light and very traditional ceremonial armor made of silver, with a cape, but no helmet, rolled her hazel eyes in disbelief and then fixed her stare into the scar right under his right eye. “Have we been keeping this old hag behind the bars for 10 years? There is no way you could have caused as much mischief as the tales say.”<br/>
<br/>
“Did you become a guard just so you could brag that you’ve seen me in this condition, Barbara?”<br/>
<br/>
Barbara, who was releasing the shackles that held the man in his position, sighed, and then chuckled under her breath. “I’m going to miss our little conversations, Andrew.” After that, she released one last chain, which started at the floor on one side of Andrew, passed all across his hip, and ended on the other side after a full turn around the prisoner.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew, who hadn’t moved a single muscle since Barbara started unshackling him, finally rose to his full height. After cracking every bone he could crack, he extended his arms to the short Barbara, who stared at him with disgust, a thing that only made his smile bigger.<br/>
<br/>
“How do you do that?” She asked, searching for the key that would release his wrists, and Andrew laughed. Not a kind of laugh you’d expect from somebody who had been in lone confinement for the last 10 years, but the kind of laugh you’d hear from a young man who has lived carefree for his whole life.<br/>
<br/>
He patted the redhead on her unruly mane once his wrists were free, and she smiled peacefully. It seemed as if a father was repeating this same action with his daughter, though they weren’t related themselves.<br/>
<br/>
“So, what does it feel like to be finally free, up to an extent, after so long?” She asked, absent-mindedly looking through the door of the room. He followed along and looked through the room before answering.<br/>
<br/>
The room wasn’t much, a squared shape of about 5 meters on each side, with nothing more than the chains that have held Andrew in place for the past decade and a bed that was there just for kicks. It had no windows because the complex was underground, so if Andrew had ever planned to run away, it would have had to be through the door and up the 4 flights of stairs. It didn’t sound like much, but if you took into consideration that he was literally the only prisoner down there, the stairs were hanging above a 50-meter pit, with at least 20 guards patrolling wherever you looked, and nowhere to hide, it did become quite a task.<br/>
<br/>
“No comment.” He finally replied.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, it’s been 10 years, I’m sure there’re places to be and people to see, there must be a damsel awaiting the triumphal return of her hairy prince.” She responded, only half-joking.<br/>
<br/>
He laughed and extended his hand. “No, do you have a blade? I want to cut this hair into something more appropriate for the occasion.”<br/>
<br/>
She handed him her trusty dagger: A silver blade, a palm and a half long, with a simple design, and a handle designed to favor a left-handed individual. On its pommel, it had an incrusted black crystal. It was no diamond or any other precious stone, but it meant a lot to her. It reminded her of home.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew picked the stiletto from her small hand and proceeded to use it to cut his long black hair with outstanding skill until it was reduced to about a palm of length. Then, he cut his beard down to 3 centimeters, which he made sure were as precise as he could manage without any tool to measure other than the dagger’s reflection, which comes to mean, he didn't do a very stellar job.<br/>
<br/>
When he was done, he nodded and returned Barbara her dagger. “Thank you, Barb.”<br/>
<br/>
She took the knife from his hand and sheathed it back into place, right above her hip on her back. Right after that, they walked off and through the door.<br/>
<br/>
They walked upstairs silently, and regardless of Andrew’s attempts to make the trip less tedious, Barbara prominently refused to talk at all. Instead, she just walked along the rails set on the border of the stairs that led up and to the only exit in the whole complex: A sturdy metal door, of about 30 centimeters of thickness that one could only assume opened from the outside.<br/>
<br/>
When Barbara placed her right hand on the door, though, a low hum sounded and the door slowly started to open without emitting a sound. The sun bathed Andrew in its light for the first time since he got caged down there, 10 years before.<br/>
<br/>
He stood there for about a minute with his eyes closed due to the strong clarity, but with a broad smile showing on his face, until Barbara cleared her throat in order to gain his attention.<br/>
<br/>
His smile smoothened just a bit. He opened his eyes just enough to see and took a step forward and into the busy streets, packed with tall buildings and cars, walking alongside Barbara, without a care in the world, and completely oblivious of the stares of hatred, respect and fear coming from everybody who recognized his face.<br/>
<br/>
The escort was composed of Barbara and other three guards disguised as civilians. He took a veteran’s guess and assumed all of them had at least a ranged weapon and a close-combat one, and at least one of them had been sensible enough to bring something blunt to hit him if needed.<br/>
<br/>
They continued to walk through a crowded street. Apparently, the so-called private appeal that was agreed upon 10 years ago was thrown out of the window without anyone bothering to tell him, and the prosecution was now a public matter that the townsfolk had unofficially declared a holiday.<br/>
<br/>
When this realization hit him, his smile faded completely and he turned towards Barbara, who had her hazel eyes fixed at the prosecution office, which had cars parked in front of it.<br/>
<br/>
He tapped her shoulder, and she barely looked at him and turned her stare back into the same spot in the building she’d been looking at before informing him as if she’d read his mind: “They ordered us not to tell you. Now keep walking, I don’t want to get in trouble again this week.”<br/>
<br/>
Andrew hadn’t noticed he stopped walking after his brief moment of realization until Barbara noted it, and he hurried back to her side, much to the surprise of the eavesdroppers.<br/>
<br/>
The prosecution office was a building about a block of size, located roughly a street or two down from where Andrew had been locked up in, made entirely of quarry which, according to the townsfolk was magic proof, but no one had tested it before, to their knowledge, so it was usually discarded as gossip.<br/>
<br/>
Once they stood before the door that would lead them inside, the people that had been following them had mostly taken off and away from the building. The few that stayed, about 5 to 10 people, walked inside once the same process Barbara had made back in the cell was concluded, and they were even allowed into the trial room.<br/>
<br/>
They all knew what was going to happen. Andrew would plead guilty because there was no way the evidence proved otherwise, and he’d be sentenced to death by Lethal Injection for a quick, painless death. Maybe, if the judge and the jury were in a particularly good mood, he’d be given a life sentence back in the same jail he’d been in for 10 years already.<br/>
<br/>
The judge arrived in the room and everyone stood up. His name was not known for its totality, and everyone called him Judge Howws, which is how he introduced himself to the audience. He was a rather old man with a skin tone as pale as the books Andrew had read over the years.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew wasn’t offered a chance to request a familiar’s presence, but he didn’t have any family anyways, so he didn’t mind.<br/>
<br/>
The judge asked: “Before we begin, are there any questions?”<br/>
<br/>
Andrew, who hadn’t even sat completely by then, stood back up and inquired, “Has anything changed in the last 10 years?”<br/>
<br/>
There were a few chuckles induced by that question that were quickly silenced by the crew itself in an attempt to listen to the answer from the judge, who simply replied in a sharp tone, “That answer will not be provided until you are considered a civilian and not a criminal, which will be determined by the people in the jury and me.”<br/>
<br/>
Andrew let out a slight chuckle and sat back down, completely unfazed by the answer. Judge Howws then continued talking, this time reading a few paper sheets that looked relevant: “Andrew Mortel Martziel, born on the second day of the eleventh year from the cycle of Bezhmet, apprehended and prosecuted the fifteenth day of the fortieth year of the same cycle for repeated theft, evasion of law enforcement, provocation of public turmoil, illegal possession of ancient artifacts, possession of an unregistered weapon, employment of said weapon to harm a General of high degree in the line of command, and employment of unknown technology to harm and kill another three soldiers and five innocent individuals. Technology that was never again found. You have declared not to remember what happened the day these multiple crimes were registered, despite the fact that visual witnesses agreed on seeing you perform such crimes and fleeing the scene. You declined the offer of a lawyer, and requested an appeal after found guilty to -and I quote-, &lt;&gt;, to which the jury and I agreed upon. Did I forget to mention anything?”<br/>
<br/>
“The date”, Andrew said, “and with all due respect, you got what I said wrong, Judge, I declared I had forgotten where I had placed the weapon or weapons, though I never said I hadn’t committed any crimes. I humbly suggest we don’t spread misinformation with so many people present.”<br/>
<br/>
Barbara let out a laugh from the opposite side of the otherwise silent room, but she quickly stiffened after receiving a stern look from Judge Howws, who then looked back to Andrew with the same stare. In response, Andrew remained inherently calm and collected before the most ruthless judge there was to exist.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, mister Mortel, if the date is so relevant for you, it is now the seventeenth day of the first year of the cycle of Certziel, as requested by you as the deadline to deliver your final response to the declarations made against you by the State.”<br/>
<br/>
Andrew nodded slowly as if digesting the new information and figuring a way of doing what he intended to do, and he smiled sheepishly at the judge.<br/>
<br/>
He then walked towards Barbara and motioned her into the center of the trial room. Barbara turned to the Judge, who nodded slightly after considering his options, and she started walking towards the criminal hesitatingly.<br/>
<br/>
While Barbara walked into the center of the trial room, Andrew asked, “Why have you decided to make the matter public, Mister Howws?” He turned with a newfound disdain into the dead eyes of the Judge, who responded with a bitter tone: “I believe that, as the most wanted criminal of the last cycle, and the most famous prisoner of both the last and this one, the general public may want to know what happens to people like you.”<br/>
<br/>
Andrew nodded and halted Barbara near the center of the room, he then walked towards her and whispered into her ear something. She then walked to the Judge’s assistant and asked for two paper sheets and a pen. While the assistant shuffled around his desk, looking for the pen, Barbara leaned on the desk and waited, and the Judge made a question that had been bothering most since the start of the trial. “Mister Andrew, why had you chosen this day as the deadline?”<br/>
<br/>
“Not much reason,” Andrew answered, “I just thought that, Certziel means Rebirth in the Ancient Tongue,” he started pacing around the room, “but I also have learned from reading that Certziel is the name of the entity the Elder Ones prayed to before a battle, so tell me, sir,” he pulled from under the tattered robes he was wearing a knife, thing that startled everyone in the room, and made all of the guards to hurry and draw their weapons, ready to fire, while Barbara frantically looked for her own knife, which was now in possession of Andrew. He stopped in front of the closest wooden table, which happened to be where the Jury's representatives sat, and impaled the knife into its top, and continued his speech, “have you made your prayers yet? Because I have, and I request for my right, as prisoner for 10 years, to fight for my freedom.”<br/>
<br/>
Judge Howws thought about it for roughly a minute, and finally spoke after a chuckle, “I admit you have bested me at my own game fair and square, but as the Judge, as well as prosecutor of this district and representative of the State,” he leaned forward in his chair and over the desk menacingly, “I will dictate the rules by which you may battle, as well as the location. And for such, I choose for the battle to be a five on one instead, to death, no time limit, in the Central Coliseum, with no other weapon than the knife you now possess. Let’s see if your prayers will be answered and if the man lives to his own legend. Your opponents will not be revealed either, and the fight you request will take place one hour and a half after this trial is declared as concluded. Any objections, people in the Jury?” He turned towards the group of people sitting on the left side of the Judge, who had been silently listening up to that point. The group of people discussed in a low voice for a few minutes, before one of them -presumably the one chosen as spokesperson- stood up and said in a loud voice so everyone could hear: “The Jury has decided in favor of the Motion, but has determined the battle to take place in the Earthshaker Coliseum instead, and for it to be broadcasted as mandatory into all of the Region, given that all of the parties involved agree on it.”<br/>
<br/>
Both Andrew and Howws answered at the same time “I agree on the established terms”, Howws turned towards Andrew with a slight smile and declared “I hereby declare this trial as concluded. You are all free to go,” and pressed a button that had been hidden behind the documents all the time, which triggered a horn that signaled the conclusion of the same trial and unlocked the doors.<br/>
<br/>
Everyone walked towards the door, and Andrew retrieved the knife he had left on the table.<br/>
<br/>
Once he had done that, he made a deep bow in a mocking tone towards the Judge and walked towards the door, Barbara trailing right behind him best she could do with her rather short legs.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, and Second Lieutenant Barbara Smith,” Howws said before they both left the room, “while I understand the enthusiasm with the first assignment of significance bestowed upon you, you may want to keep a keen eye on the prisoner, as well as your personal belongings while you are on duty.” He motioned with his pen in dismissal.<br/>
<br/>
Barbara’s tanned, freckle-filled face turned bright red, quickly grabbed the knife Andrew had in his hand, sheathed it back into place and hurried out of the room.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew walked leisurely behind her and out of the building, back to the cell he had grown to appreciate and enjoy in some sort of twisted way.<br/>
<br/>
He caught up with Barbara and leaned by her head’s height, but before a single word left his mouth she raged “don’t ever embarrass me like that again, and in front of a public? Throw me down the prison cell’s pit while you’re at it! Could you have been a bit more reckless and kill the Prosecutor too? What is wrong with you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Ahm, Barbara…” Andrew halted her rant before it could go on any longer, because he knew it would take a while otherwise, “why don’t we talk about it back in my hell hole, please? You’re making a scene.” He asked, concern in is voice.<br/>
<br/>
Barbara quickly looked around, and when she realized she was getting weird looks from everyone around, pulled the cape she was wearing over her head, “let’s just get back, please?”<br/>
<br/>
“You will need your eyes for that one—” Andrew started.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t want to see anything right now,” Barbara whimpered.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew sighed and looked menacingly into the onlookers’ eyes, grabbed Barbara’s shoulders and guided her the rest of the way to the compound.<br/>
<br/>
All the while, Andrew tried to improve Barbara’s mood, to no avail. She was too frustrated from what happened in the Prosecution office to talk, and quite frankly, Andrew wasn’t in the best talking mood either.<br/>
<br/>
Once they arrived to the place, a guard shook his head and casted the same motion onto the door that Barbara had used earlier, and the door opened in the same fashion as before. The guards didn’t bother closing the door again, the news had already arrived to them by then.<br/>
<br/>
They walked back into the cell, and Andrew locked the door behind him with Barbara’s key.<br/>
<br/>
Barbara, who had been teary since she covered her head, broke into a loud cry, collapsing onto the hard floor where Andrew left her: right in front of him inside the room, hiding her face between her legs and under the cape.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew, without saying a word, picked her up and took her to a corner where a slightly less rigid bed bolted to the wall.<br/>
<br/>
He placed her in the middle, and he sat on a corner of the bed awkwardly. The crying kept going for roughly 10 minutes before Andrew decided it had been enough and slid closer to Barbara’s side and tried to comfort her.<br/>
<br/>
He started by pulling the cape from her head and uncovering her. He then tried, in a very awkward way, patting her shoulder and starting little talk.<br/>
<br/>
“So, are you feeling better?” He asked her, trying to see her face from the side he was sitting in.<br/>
<br/>
“Leave me alone” she sobbed back, and he let out a little chuckle. “At least you’re talking now, so the silence won’t be as bad.” He sighed.<br/>
<br/>
“So,” he continued after another long silence, “how about we start worrying about the event at hand? I’ll take care of people bothering you myself, what do you say?”<br/>
<br/>
Barbara looked up. “But you will only have a knife, and they will most likely have better weapons.” She stated, mater-of-factly. Andrew silently rejoiced. At least she’s not crying anymore, he thought.<br/>
<br/>
Andrew let out a heavy sigh out, thankful Barbara was no longer crying, and after thinking about it for a couple of minutes, he finally replied with a smirk in his face: “Never try to cage an animal without knowing how dangerous it can be.” He extended his hand, asking for the knife, “And allow me to show you, just how dangerous this animal can be.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CHAPTER 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Potential content warning for this chapter: Mention of blood and murder, sharp objects, general weaponry.</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What do you think, Barbara? Do I stand a chance?" Andrew stood in front of Barbara, in a pose that made him look like a magician after a lengthy performance, waiting for the claps from the public, while Barbara just sat there, dumbfounded, confused, scared and amazed at the same time.</p>
<p>A drop of blood rolled from Andrew's left forearm, which had a nasty-looking cut, and hit the floor, while the cut had quickly started closing and healed in a matter of a minute without a trace.</p>
<p>"I-" Barbara started, "How do you even- I mean, when did you- agh!" Barbara groaned and threw her hands into the air in frustration, took a deep breath, and shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know what to think." She dropped her arms in surrender.</p>
<p>Andrew shrugged, "be honest, I'm always open to constructive criticism," he said while absentmindedly checking where the cut had been earlier.</p>
<p>"I just don't understand you sometimes" Barbara said, shrugging in her armor.</p>
<p>"Well, there's not much to it," Andrew stated, "I learned magic the hard way." He continued with a diminishing gesture, as if it was no big deal. "Now, will you pass me that shirt?" He signaled to the clean shirt that had been lying on the side of the bed since they arrived. "This one's dirty and ripped already from this last year, not to mention that I'm hungry and want to get something before we leave."</p>
<p>He started removing the gray shirt that had been reduced to rags while Barbara reached for the new one, and she tossed it to him mindlessly.</p>
<p>He caught it midair with ease while he dropped his old one on the floor and tried it on, "I see your reflexes and the laundry guy are as acute as always." She said when the shirt fit him not too tightly even though he leaned more towards the heavier, buffer side.</p>
<p>"You should've seen me in my earlier days" Andrew said with a tone of melancholy while he sat beside her.</p>
<p>"I most likely wasn't born yet by then" Barbara replied back as a joke.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Andrew acted hurt and shoved her to the side, and they both started laughing while Barbara sat back up, clearly in a better mood. "I could still best you any day." Andrew declared with confidence.</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah? If you truly are so strong, why did you get captured?" She asked back, in an attempt of a joke, but Andrew got serious for a second before laughing a bit more and shrugging it off.</p>
<p>"Guess I was utterly bored..." He started.</p>
<p>"Huh, right," Barbara interrupted, sitting straighter and fixing her stare on the room.</p>
<p>"And I was wasted from before that," Andrew added, "but I'll explain it to you later, now, could you take care of that shirt?" He pointed to the torn shirt lying on the floor, and Barbara nodded happily while her eyes literally shone with a hint of gold in them.</p>
<p>She stood up and made her way to the shirt. She then picked it up into a ball and, instead of throwing it away into some trash bin, it was suddenly engulfed in flames for a few seconds before the fire died out, revealing the ashes of it, which lied on Barbara's palm.</p>
<p>Andrew clapped and stood up. "You have been practicing, haven't you?" He asked, and Barbara nodded proudly.</p>
<p>"Very good, though remember that you have to be-"</p>
<p>"I have to be careful, I know," Barbara cut him off. "I am not a kid. I know the risks."</p>
<p>"Magic is what got me in this position, kiddo," Andrew ruffled Barbara's hair for a second, and she responded with a soft chuckle. "I don't want you walking the same steps I have." He added as he paced the room.</p>
<p>"I will not, I'd never do what you've done." Barbara said in a dark tone.</p>
<p>Andrew let out a sigh, and turned at her. "The people that I killed that day weren't supposed to be alive in the first place." He said sternly.</p>
<p>Barbara stared at him in confusion, "say what?" she asked. At that moment, the door was unlocked and opened, and who appeared to be a soldier of some higher rank walked in. "First Lieutenant Smith?" He called out with a tone of authority.</p>
<p>Barbara whipped around and saluted the Official, dropping the ashes to the floor. When his blue eyes adapted to the darkness that had reigned in the room and spotted Barbara, he dismissively said "At ease."</p>
<p>Barbara broke her position and fixed her stare on the new man in the room while he walked in.</p>
<p>"I have been sent here with two messages. First of all, First Lieutenant Barbara Smith shall present herself to Major General Lewis." He turned towards her, and awaited her reaction.</p>
<p>Barbara stared at him in slight unease, whenever she was called to the Major General, she was in trouble, and with that day's major screw-up in the Prosecution Office, she knew she had really outdone herself this time.</p>
<p>Regardless, she nodded and started out of the room, but the soldier, who appeared to be a Captain in Andrew's eyes, stopped her at the door putting a hand on her shoulder.</p>
<p>"The second message," he started as he leveled that same hand to chest length, "is more of an order for me, and is to escort Mister Martziel here and his weapon to the Coliseum, as only half an hour is left on the clock."</p>
<p>Barbara quickly nodded and gave him the knife, then quickly hurried out of the room and up the stairs to the building right in front of the dungeon.</p>
<p>The prisoner walked to the doorframe extended his hand to shake the officer's hand. The man just stared at it and nodded. "I have heard all kinds of stories about you," he said pretentiously, "I must say, I expected you to look stronger, or taller at least." He continued with an authoritarian smile in his face.</p>
<p>Andrew dropped his hand by his side and chuckled. "I knew everyone was all pompous around here, but I honestly am surprised even a soldier of such a low rank is allowed to have that same high-handed attitude."</p>
<p>"You may file a complaint if you make it out of there alive." He replied in the same tone.</p>
<p>"Rest assured that you will hear from me first hour in the morning." Andrew replied with a smug smile in his face. He then motioned out without waiting for the soldier he was leaving behind. "You may want to hurry, Captain, or we won't arrive on time, and it would be rather shameful if such were to happen."</p>
<p>The man ran to catch up with Andrew, "Major, actually, and-" Andrew raised his hand dismissively and cut him off. "Major, Captain, whatever, they end up in the same place, six feet underground." He pointed to the floor.</p>
<p>"So does a criminal, and I don't see anyone treating you the same way as they do to us free people." Andrew chuckled ever so slightly and kept walking.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't say free, but anyways," Andrew said after another few steps up the stairs. "What matters right now is that we will be dealing with each other for the next 15 minutes or so, so it would be amazing if we started again." He turned around and extended his hand out once again, without any kind of mannerism, as if he'd been practicing the move for a long time. "My name is Andrew Mortel Martziel. Criminal on his way to a Coliseum to fight for his life. Assassin, thief and bearer of the knowledge of Old." He smiled without any emotion.</p>
<p>The other man stared into the hand once again for a few moments before finally taking his hand and shaking it. "And I am Major Matias Davis. Escort of the most wanted criminal of the past millennia and best fighter of the country's First Line of defense." He responded in the same manner.</p>
<p>"I will be looking forward to meeting you in the battlefield, Mayor Matias." Andrew said with ease, and added after Matias stared at him with unease: "After this, I will be requesting to join in the ranks," he shrugged his hand off the grip and kept walking. "There are not many places one can go to after serving this much time in prison."</p>
<p>After this new introduction, they both walked in a far calmer silence than before. Right before the door that led out of the structure, the Mayor hurried to the front and stopped Andrew. Andrew just turned his head sideways slightly, and Matias pointed to a side door. Andrew hadn't seen the door lead out when he first arrived, and neither did he last time he saw the outside of it, and his confusion grew more evident once he saw the entrance closed with lots of commotion audible from the other side.</p>
<p>"The media is here," Matias explained. "And that door leads to the Coliseums Roundabout. I presume you know what it means."</p>
<p>"You don't want unnecessary media coverage and we are about to be late?" He asked. The soldier nodded.</p>
<p>"Got it. Lead the way." Andrew agreed. He didn't want to deal with any media coverage either.</p>
<p>The Davis guy ran towards the other door and they both hurried across the new underground compound through multiple lit pathways and turns until they reached a huge chamber with lots of paths branching out with texts in some rare scripture visible at the top.</p>
<p>Matias hesitated a second before rushing through one to the far right, but Andrew caught him. "Wait, the way to the Earthshaker Coliseum is that one," and pointed to the door at 11 from where they were standing.</p>
<p>"You know how to read these?" Matias asked, and Andrew nodded. "I'm just trying to help us out." He added.</p>
<p>Matias doubted for a second before following Andrew's advice and taking that path, with Andrew trailing shortly behind.</p>
<p>When they arrived to the end of the path, a man with shining armor turned to them. "Just in time, Mayor Matias," he saluted in a very lazy way. The new arrivals ignored that sign of disrespect and Matias hurried to explain, "we avoided the paparazzis."</p>
<p>"Through that labyrinth?" The armored soldier asked. Upon a closer, silent inspection, Andrew noticed it was silver coated with possibly Kevlar or some other military grade armor underneath. Efficient for both magic and normal weapons, he made the mental note.</p>
<p>Matias nodded, "just let us through, how much time left on the clock?"</p>
<p>"Three minutes." The soldier answered.</p>
<p>Andrew looked up and listened into the surroundings. Loud ovations could be heard while some final orders were exchanged between Matias and the guard, a full coliseum used to have that effect in people. "Let's give the people what they want," he said finally, interrupting the conversation the other two men were having.</p>
<p>"He's the first one in the history of this city to not try to run away from the Pit." The silver man noted.</p>
<p>"I never run away unless I know I won't win." Andrew replied, with a hint of faked irritation, and the soldier motioned to open the small door behind him.</p>
<p>Both men walked through and left the guard behind to close the door. Andrew stood where he landed and studied the walls of the small antechamber that led into the coliseum.</p>
<p>He felt a cold tap on his shoulder and turned around, it was a black crystal. Barbara's blade was being offered to him from the shorter Matias, and he took it from the hilt. Their eyes met, and a silent agreement was made between them. The formalities ended there, he understood, and Andrew smiled.</p>
<p>"Mayor." He greeted with a neutral voice.</p>
<p>"Mortiel." The man responded.</p>
<p>They both nodded at each other and Andrew turned around. He walked the two meters between him and the last door, and it opened to let through a strong light.</p>
<p>Andrew walked out and took a few moments to assess the view. The sun shone bright over the whole coliseum, and the people booed at him while cheering for the people he was fighting, who hadn't come out yet.</p>
<p>He turned to what seemed to be the main seat or something, and saw Howws and another man he assumed was the governor. Their eyes met for a second and Andrew let out as much disdain as he could through his eyes. Howws simply chuckled and turned to say something to the woman seated by his side.</p>
<p>All of the townsfolk who had managed to buy a last-minute ticket for the event had been enough to fill the coliseum almost completely, the floor he stood on was dirt that felt very rough and slippery against his worn shoes. He noticed that some of the underground entrances were freshly opened, from the markings around the borders, and it hit him why they chose that coliseum.</p>
<p>They didn't intend on letting him out alive.</p>
<p>Then the heavy door that came from the opposite side from where he stood slowly opened. He counted the people emerging from the darkness. One, two, three, four...</p>
<p>His heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>Five.</p>
<p>He could recognize that tanned skin and mess of red hair anywhere.</p>
<p>Barbara emerged in a rush, almost tripping to the ground in the process. He was compelled to help her stand her ground, but she did it by herself in the same hurry, amidst the laughs from everyone else in the complex.</p>
<p>He put the thoughts that were rapidly emerging aside, and looked at what his opponents were wielding: The leftmost was more on the slim side, and carried a curved sword, a khopesh, he remembered from the books he had read. The second one was the buffest of them all, and carried a bludgeon. He'd mean trouble if he managed to get close enough. The next one in line had a spear and a shield, and had a body that reminded Andrew of the Gladiators of old that his books narrated, and he chuckled leisurely at the thought. He kept going.</p>
<p>The fourth one had a trident and a net, a very standard combination for people who fought for the people's entertainment. Then his eyes met Barbara once again, and he noted she was carrying no weapon. A sword laid by her side on the floor, probably unbalanced for her. He locked his eyes with hers and shook his head with worry.</p>
<p>He tossed the knife in the air and caught it by the edge with his whole hand firmly.</p>
<p>The spontaneity of the movement made the people quiet, and he tossed the knife to the ground in front of Barbara, who looked back at him with shock and confusion. He just nodded.</p>
<p>She crouched for it, and saw it had blood. She heard a drop fall to the floor, and then another, and she looked up to see the man was bleeding rather heavily from the hand. She wasn't the only one to notice, and everyone laughed, this time for how incompetent a man had to be to wound himself with the sole weapon he had access to, and surrender it at the same time. But her reaction was different. He smiled at her.</p>
<p>She hurried to her feet and looked around in fear, while grasping to her dagger helplessly, and everyone else taking part in the barbaric event took a combat stance. Andrew placed his wounded hand behind his back. They were barely 10 meters away from each other. Everyone was sitting on the verge of their seats, waiting for the starting signal to be heard.</p>
<p>Their feet slammed against the ground over and over, while they chanted: <i>Ten, nine, eight...</i></p>
<p>She had to think of something quick.</p>
<p>
  <i>Seven, six...</i>
</p>
<p>She took two steps backwards.</p>
<p>
  <i>Five, four...</i>
</p>
<p>Her red mane bounced against her back while she rushed to a position between the other warriors and Andrew, and far off to an entrance to the side of them, not very far away. No one looked at her.</p>
<p>
  <i>Three, two...</i>
</p>
<p>She felt a slight tug from her blade, and she looked to see that the blood was being dragged off of it and towards Andrew.</p>
<p>
  <i>One...</i>
</p>
<p>She looked at Andrew one last time, and saw the blood that had been spilled had formed into a sphere the size of a lemon in his hand. He was no longer bleeding. And he wasn't smiling either.</p>
<p>A deafening blare was heard all over the enclosure and Barbara instinctively closed her eyes.</p>
<p>The blare was quickly followed by the sound of a short screech and a body dropping to the floor.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. CHAPTER 2</h2></a>
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  <em>Potential content warning for this chapter: Explicit mention of violence, weaponry, blood, fighting and murder/death.</em><br/>
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</p><p>For a few seconds, the whole coliseum went quiet. Barbara, still slightly deafened from the blare, opened her eyes to find out how that many people went quiet so quickly.</p><p>The scene revealed before her was nothing short of shocking. The warrior with the bludgeon was on his back, a red spear piercing his heart. On the spear's highest point, it had split into two halves, turning into two other spears that pierced the two combatants to the right and left of the man on the floor.</p><p>The last one had dropped to the floor in utter shock, and Andrew stood there, the cut in his hand already gone, ready to slay the last person other than her.</p><p>The fight was already over, even before it began.</p><p>The red spears, that would have appeared solid not a second ago, were now moving like a single body of water, hurrying towards Andrew as he walked leisurely towards the trident wielder.</p><p>"Pick up your weapon." He demanded, an uncomfortably kind stare in his face.</p><p>The other man stared at him, fear-struck, and shook his head in confusion.</p><p>Andrew closed his eyes for a moment and let out a disappointed sigh. "What is your name?" He started. The gladiator took a deep breath, gulped and spoke with a shaky voice "I'm- My name is- you may call me-" Andrew crouched, startling the man even more, if that were possible, and he screamed in a sudden rush of adrenaline "My name is Anix!"</p><p>Andrew tapped Anix's leg empathically, the blood floating into an orb behind him, "Alright, Anix. I understand if you have accepted your fate. But, will you even try to fight? Look at them," he raised his head and looked over his shoulder, towards Howws, who had a mixture of fear and fascination in his face, "if they ever recover from their surprise, they will remember you." He chuckled, "they will remember you in one of two ways. The first possible way you could go down as, is as a warrior, who faced an impossible fight and still tried. Or," he paused, staring straight into Anix's eyes, "you will go down as a coward. But the choice is yours." He stood up and looked around, before turning his head back towards Anix.</p><p>"Will you fight, or will you give up?" Andrew asked him.</p><p>When Anix started grabbing his weapons, Andrew smiled with a sliver of pride, and summoned the blood orb to his side. "Are you ready?" He asked, not to anyone in particular.</p><p>Barbara, who had witnessed the scene, started feeling uncomfortable. It felt like she was watching a dog stand and prepare to fight against a ticking bomb, thinking it was going to win, she had a feeling Andrew was only toying with poor Anix.</p><p>This thought made her upset, and not being capable of reading Andrew's face made her more uneasy by the second.</p><p>She had to do something, and she had to do it fast, but what? She wasn't strong enough to overpower Andrew, but she wasn't about to stand there and watch a man die when she could try and do something.</p><p>Andrew stopped walking and turned towards Anix, about 5 meters away from him, while Anix tried his trident-wielding arm. He was determined to prove his worth, and Barbara knew that feeling, ever since she voluntarily joined the Army five years ago. She'd kept on pushing till she couldn't anymore, only to prove herself to others, and in some way, even if she wouldn't admit it, prove it to herself.</p><p>The blood floating around Andrew started transforming into a longsword, the kind of blade you'd see heavier knights carry into battle, except this one would never dent, and was way lighter.</p><p>"Stop," she croaked, walking towards them, but spoke too low for anyone to hear her plead, so she started to pick up the pace.</p><p>Both Andrew and Anix nodded at each other and took a combat stance once again, and Andrew threw the remainder of the blood into the air between them, releasing it from his magic. A start signal.</p><p>Barbara hesitated only slightly, looking at the blood for a split second before fixing her stare back into the two warriors. She didn't have much time, but it would probably be enough, so she picked up the pace, her blood boiling with something. It wasn't rage, or hatred. It was a range of emotions towards everything that was happening, she was uneasy towards how easy it was for Andrew to find a battle to the death as nothing more than a game, and fear towards his ability to convince anyone of anything. She felt disdain towards these barbaric traditions that allowed the death of good people, and also allowed for profit from blood and the pleasure of twisted people. She felt sadness, from believing she could have done something to save those three people that now laid lifeless on the floor.</p><p>While these thoughts crossed her mind, her pace slowed down without her noticing. She quickly hurried back to her fast pace, but she was still two meters away from them and the blood was centimeters from touching the ground.</p><p>"Stop!" She managed to scream this time, but it was too late, the blood had already touched the ground and the two men were rushing towards each other.</p><p>Before she knew it, a wall of fire had risen between the gladiator and the criminal. It stood tall, and it forced a collective gasp from everyone in the precinct. Both warriors jumped away from the sudden heat rush, and turned towards the source of the fire. Andrew displayed a combination of fear and extreme worry, and Anix had a face of fear that he was fighting back.</p><p>All the eyes were on her on that moment, and she felt like a little girl when she'd cry her eyes out in a supermarket on a busy day. She felt the urge to hide, but she knew she wouldn't manage to. The determination she'd felt seconds ago was replaced with fear the moment she realized what she'd done.</p><p>A sound of static was heard over their heads, and the three of them flinched.</p><p>"I see now the way it is," the unmistakable, raspy voice of Howws was heard from some speakers that had to be concealed. "Three people left. One determined to kill, one determined to die, and a third one that tries to be reasonable." His voice loud with irony and amusement. Barbara quickly decided she didn't have any respect left towards him. Andrew and Anix were looking at Howws with evident despise and apprehension.</p><p>"Now, how will we do this?" He fake wondered, and then snapped his fingers with an even faker gasp "How about we open the gates?" He exclaimed, staring straight into Andrew's soul with a sardonic smile.</p><p>The coliseum was still quiet, but there was a sound of people shuffling in their place. Some were visibly uneasy, while others turned around in excitement.</p><p>The fire wall was dying out, without the concentration of Barbara keeping it up. Her thoughts were fixed elsewhere.</p><p>"What now?" She whispered at Andrew. He turned back at her with anger, and shook his head in disapproval. Anix was eyeing the sword and shield that laid a few meters away from him, so he didn't react.</p><p>A loud mechanical sound was heard, and the blocks of moved sand started rising up. In them, a horde of animals and warriors alike stood, weapons in hand and fangs bared. They were still barely out and still in locked cages when Barbara noticed something else. This wasn't on the Arena, with them, but on the seats. There was a mild commotion flaring up.</p><p>She wasn't the only one to notice it, though. Andrew seemed to have taken notice of it as well, and his eyebrows were pushed together. Anix took notice of it eventually and asked, "Should we make a run for it?"</p><p>Andrew turned towards him, clearly not trusting the man yet, and Anix said, "I want to fight," confidence shining in his eyes. The mage let a small smile be seen through his pale, bearded face and nodded. The blood spilled by his former enemies started dragging the shield and sword towards Anix. "I think this will be your size." He then turned towards Barbara, "no one will be watching your back but yourself, this is your first lesson."</p><p>She nodded, and the determination she had felt before started resurfacing. This time though, she would keep it at bay.</p><p>Howws chuckled, still oblivious from the ever-growing commotion taking place just meters away from him. "How noble of you, to fight until the end."</p><p>With that, the warriors and beasts alike charged towards the three people standing in the middle of the arena.</p><p>The first strike came from Barbara, throwing a fireball towards the closest foe, which unluckily was a man with a large shield, nothing like the small, Athenian shield Anix had at his feet. The fireball hit the shield harmlessly, and the man kept charging. By then, Andrew had already extracted as much blood as there was available, and had started spreading most of it around the battlefield's ground.</p><p>In one swift motion from Andrew's hand, all of that blood turned into a spiked field, with those close enough to stand on the blood clots getting swiftly impaled. Those who didn't die would be too wounded to fight. This reduced the number of combatants only by a fraction however, and there were still too many people for them to last long.</p><p>Andrew was starting to pale and sweat, and Barbara started to worry the field wouldn't hold for long. Some blood spikes were starting to melt back into liquid.</p><p>She started throwing fireballs left and right, trying to reduce their numbers, but most would hide behind the shield carriers, and those who didn't were starting to be few and scattered from one another. A lucky trespasser managed to get through the barrier behind Barbara, but was met by her dagger against his chest. She quickly extracted her blade and kept on firing.</p><p>During all this, Anix eased his way to the outer area of the slowly collapsing blood field, to no reaction from the enemies, who were too focused on the danger the magic casters in the middle posed, he was not as bulky or tall as others, so he fit through the small crevices between spears, plus Andrew was keeping track of him and easing the path carefully as well.</p><p>Once he was outside the circle, he started assassinating from behind their ranks, killing swiftly and mercilessly. Those few on the seats who took notice of him would try to warn the warriors to no avail, since he'd be in and out before his enemies caught up with him, but something was off about his moves, he didn't seem to flake or waver, holding a consistent speed and efficiency.</p><p>This trick worked just so long though. As the bodies started piling up, some started taking notice on the killer and would start turning their backs on Barbara and Andrew, in an attempt to defend the flank while others fought the blood to try and break into the safe haven in which Andrew and Barbara defended themselves. Anix started slowing down on his hunt, but he was still just as deadly. He'd sometimes get too close for most warriors to use their weapons effectively, parry a few hits with his sword, and then he'd quickly swap into a reverse grip to deliver a final blow in ways they didn't expect.</p><p>In the meantime, the commotion on the stairs was now too big and loud for even Howws to ignore, and screams were being heard. Some called for the injustice that was being witnessed against the mages and the warrior to be rectified, while others shouted all kinds of obscenities against the spellcasters and the danger they imposed to their society.</p><p>Some people had gotten all close and personal on each other, splitting them into two sides. Since Andrew didn't need eyes to hold his defenses, he turned towards the fighting taking place up there. He didn't make much of it at first, but suddenly, a flash of white was seen, followed by a fade of black right behind. The people closer to those two flashes started falling off, running away from whatever that was.</p><p>Andrew quickly turned towards Barbara, "We have to go, now!" he screamed. She was thankful, her hands were starting to sting from the backlash she was taking from the constant abuse of her magic, and the spike defense was now reduced to barely 20 centimeters separating them from their demise.</p><p>"Anix, down!" He shouted from the top of his lungs, and the slithery warrior disengaged and dropped into the floor as fast as he could, barely dodging the barrage of red that exploded from the middle in a final blow delivered by Andrew's magic. Only a few other people remained, so they took care of it as they went, Barbara stabbed someone on the throat with her knife after baiting a fake fireball at him, and Andrew swung his longsword clean through someone else's neck.</p><p>Anix caught up with them and noticed the soldiers that were available were mostly charging towards the seat area where the fight had sprouted again, so travel through the Labyrinth would be swift, and he made sure to notify his newfound allies of this.</p><p>"Help me open this," Andrew gestured, trying to charge through the door that separated them from their way out of that hellhole, but Anix stopped him. "Barbara, you still up for some more sparks?" She shook her head.</p><p>After that negative, Anix lifted a leg and kicked the door down in one swift motion, "you're both out, leave the rest to me. Let's go." And he charged down the corridor, tackling the second door down and the guard standing behind it with unconceivable strength.</p><p>Andrew and Barbara looked at each other and followed suit, but Andrew was moving slower than it'd be expected from him, presumably from exhaustion, so Barbara made sure to follow his rhythm to secure their escape and help if needed.</p><p>Barbara was just as wasted, but faced the same exhaustion every day in the barracks, so she managed to fight it back as well.</p><p>When they caught up with Anix, he was standing in the middle of another roundabout, with 11 doors leading in different directions, looking behind himself to make sure only they were following him.</p><p>"Let's take this one," Andrew said after catching his breath, pointing towards the door directly to their left. Anix could only trust him, and Barbara was too burned down to argue, so they followed him.</p><p>For the next few hours, they kept running, taking left turns, right turns, and going up and down flights of stairs, only taking short breaks while Andrew read the texts above each door to make sure he was picking the right path. Barbara tripped multiple times due to the dim light, and Anix kept offering to help her, but she didn't trust him yet.</p><p>Eventually, a light shone bright at the end of the tunnel, and everyone sighed a breath of relief.</p><p>When Andrew started slowing down, they did as well, and they ended up sneaking through a hole in a tree that had grown woven into a cluster of rocks. It was night already by the time they had exited the warm underground tunnels into the cold of the forest.</p><p>They looked around and, once they saw it was clear, Barbara dropped into the dirt, breathing heavily. Anix had barely broken a sweat, but made sure to rest as well by sitting on a rock, and Andrew had left his sword, which instantly turned into a puddle of blood, while he looked through the crevices between the rocks for something. Anix observed him with curiosity, and when Andrew let out a grunt of satisfaction, he creeped closer so he could see better what the old man was holding.</p><p>Under the moonlight, he could see a small vial that would fit in Barbara's hand, partly covered with a small cloth, with some liquid inside that he'd never seen before. Andrew hurried to open it and drink part of its contents. He then rushed towards Barbara and forced her to drink from it despite her weak complaints.</p><p>Immediately after she drunk the rest of that odd concoction, her short, jagged breaths became more regular and relaxed, and her tense body loosened up. Her hands, which were red from the heat of her own magic, also started to slowly recover their natural skin color.</p><p>"We'll rest here," Andrew announced with a low voice after a few minutes of sitting by Barbara's side. "Make yourself of use and come help me," he added, turning towards Anix. The fighter instantly walked towards him and helped Andrew lift an unconscious Barbara and set her inside the tree's guts, where she'd be warmer for the night.</p><p>Once that was done, Andrew thanked him and sat down with his back against a large rock, looking towards the moon that shone above them.</p><p>After a few minutes of silence, Andrew started talking, "you know, 10 years barely feel like a day for people like us, wouldn't you agree, Anix?" He barely waited for an answer before continuing, "I once met an Anix, a long time ago. They were a restless fighter, just like you. And your response back in the Earthshaker reminded me of them. The first time we stood side by side, they said the exact same words, &lt;I want to fight&gt;." Andrew chuckled at the memory. "Ah, I wonder what they're up to today." After that thought, Andrew stopped talking and stared at the moon with more curiosity, looking for nothing in particular.</p><p>"Well, no doubt they'd be hearing of the news by now, you're still a wanted criminal, after all." Anix replied, back on his rock, tapping his hand against his leg.</p><p>"So, all the tales they speak of you," Anix wondered, after a minute or so, "are they real? That you don't age, you have no heart, and are as old as time?"</p><p>After receiving no response for a few minutes, Anix turned towards the bearded man and saw him sleeping profoundly. Whatever he had drunk knocked him out cold, so Anix decided to stand first watch for that night. He grabbed his sword, and drifted into the night, lost in his thoughts.</p><p> </p>
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